The Other Half
by ToasttGhostt
Summary: Unable to handle the treatment of her Clanmates, a young and soft-spoken she-cat escapes persecution from her half-Clan heritage by running away, only to return as a leader of an army with a bloodthirsty desire for revenge.
1. Chapter 1

**Warriors**

_**The Other Half**_

**A L L E G I A N C E S**

**S H A D O W C L A N:**

**LEADER**** Smokestar - **Big, long-haired dark gray, almost black tom with piercing amber eyes.

**DEPUTY**** Dawnfrost**- Pale ginger and white she cat with blue eyes.

Apprentice: Sparkpaw

**MEDICINE CAT**** Ashcloud – **Small dappled light gray she-catwith sky blue eyes.

**WARRIORS** (toms and she-cats without kits)

**Stormfrost – **Silver and black tabby tom with a marbled fur pattern and a white underbelly.

Apprentice: Redpaw

**Leopardheart **- Mottled golden-brown she-cat

**Swiftstep** – Slender light brown tom

**Hawkflight – **Dark red tabby she-cat with amber eyes

Apprentice: Windpaw

**Wolfsong - ** Handsome long haired dark gray tom with amber eyes

**Snowpelt – **White she-cat with dark blue eyes

Apprentice: Owlpaw

**Dewleaf - **Pale gray she-cat with green eyes

**Flurrypelt – **gray and white tom

**Ghostfrost - **Very pale gray, almost white, tom with pale green eyes

Apprentice: Viperpaw

**Leafflight **– Big tortoiseshell she-cat with green eyes

**Emberclaw - **Flame colored ginger tom with amber eyes

**Swanfeather – **Slender white she-cat with black front paws and green eyes (for teh lulz).

**Shiverpool – **Silver tabby she-cat

Apprentice: Sunpaw

**Blossompool – **White and ginger she-cat

**Dustclaw** - Muscular dusky brown tom

**Sparrowflight – **Dark brown tabby tomwith amber eyes

**Russetwolf **– Russet tabby tom with amber eyes

**APPRENTICES ** (more than six moons old, in training to become warriors)

**Sparkpaw – **Energetic flame-colored she-cat with yellow eyes

**Sunpaw **– Golden tabby she-cat

**Windpaw **- Slightly fluffy dark gray-and-white tom with dark blue eyes

**Owlpaw - **Thick-furred dark brown tabby tom with green eyes

**Viperpaw – **Small golden tabby she-cat with amber eyes

**Redpaw - **Dark red tabby she-cat with a white underbelly and paws and green eyes

**QUEENS**

**Brooksong – **Light brown tabby she-cat with a white underbelly (mother to Shinekit and Ravenkit)

**ELDERS** (former warriors and queens, now retired)

**Frostheart** – Long haired white tom

**Brindlefoot – **Battled-scarred dark brown she-cat with black stripes

**Firepelt – **Ginger tabby tom

**T H U N D E R C L A N**

**LEADER**** Tabbystar – **Light brown tabby tom

**DEPUTY **** Fernfoot – **Mottled brown she-cat

**W I N D C L A N **

**LEADER **** Shimmerstar** – Sleek silver tabby she-cat

**DEPUTY **** Patchcloud – **White she-cat with silver patches and sky blue eyes

**R I V E R C L A N**

**LEADER **** Breezestar – **Black and white tom

**DEPUTY ****Beechnose- **Light brown tabby tom with green eyes

_ONE_

_Windpaw of ShadowClan_

_Snap. _

The sound of a twig giving way under a careless whole body freezes instinctively; my eyes sweep the dense undergrowth for signs of life. Only another cat would be heavy enough to break a twig in two like that. Apart from the faint rustling of leaves as a breeze sweeps though, there is no movement among the foliage. I swiftly and quietly carry on, prowling through the thick woods, pine needles muffling my pawsteps so that I am completely silent. I am nothing put a shadow among the trees.

The eerie sensation of being watched tells me that I am not alone. Somewhere an invisible presence lies concealed, waiting, watching. I feel eyes on me, observing my every move, burning intently into my pelt. I pause, still in the hunter's crouch. I swivel my ears to detect the slightest sound, open my mouth to taste the air for the slightest scent. I can sense nothing but the whispering of the trees, the strong smell of mud and pinesap, and the beating of my own heart growing steadily quicker.

I lift my paw for another step, and I see it. A shape looming up out of the undergrowth. A head comes up, and I see it's another cat. Why am I unable to smell it? I can catch a trace of fresh ShadowClan scent- my own Clan- and a lot of fresh mud, but nothing else. Its scent must be disguised. An enemy warrior, no doubt. It is probably able to smell my scent though, because it has frozen and is very slowly turning its head to survey its surroundings. The cat opens its mouth to taste the air, and suddenly relaxes. It hasn't sensed me. It pads on through the shadowy trees, apparently hunting.

I creep up stealthily behind it, taking care not to alert my enemy with loud pawsteps. This cat is probably out to steal prey from my territory. It looks like I am going to have to deal with the intruder by myself, apprentice though I am. The thought fills me with nervous excitement. I begin padding quickly after it, gaining speed until I am sprinting toward it. The cat turns, eyes wide, reflecting the moon. It turns tail at the sight of me and bolts, its fear scent trailing behind it. I give chase, yowling a battle cry. The cat is a she-cat and has significantly shorter legs than I do. I quickly overtake her. I leap, landing on her back, and dig my claws in. Her pelt is hard to grip, her pale fur plastered with the mud she used to hide her rival-Clan scent with. She is not as strong as I am, I realize, as she crumples under my weight; still, she possesses significant strength and muscle beneath her pelt. The cat screeches in alarm, twists onto her back and tries to claw at my belly with her hind claws. Her eyes blaze with fury and terror, and suddenly I recognize this little cat.

"Viperpaw!" I yowl in astonishment. I instantly unhook my claws from her pelt and let her up. She glares at me with all the hostility of an enemy, panting hard. "Windpaw, what in the Dark Forest are you _doing_?"

"Why is your scent disguised?" I pant. "You had me thinking you were some intruder!"

"My scent isn't disguised; I fell in some mud earlier. Great StarClan, Windpaw. Some warrior you'd make, attacking cats just because you don't recognize them at first. I almost had that rabbit, too." She irritably flicks her tail in the direction the rabbit must have run.

"Some warrior _you'd _make, falling in mud and then running from an attacker like a rabbit yourself!" She glares at me and I smirk, and then suddenly she springs at me.

We roll around in the leaves for a heartbeat, halfheartedly clawing each other, until I easily pin her.

"Well," I huff, "we've probably scared all the prey away by now. Let's just go back to camp." I yawn, worn out from my false-alarm attack. Viperpaw nods and we both get up and begin heading back.

Viperpaw is my closest friend in the Clan besides my brother, Owlpaw. We're practically brother and sister. We're the same age, seven moons, and my mother raised Viperpaw after her own mother died of greencough. She is very quiet and reserved by nature, but less so around Owlpaw and I, because we're so close. And, as she proved tonight, not the best at facing an enemy and fighting, which brings me to ask her, "Why didn't you turn and fight? We're not kits anymore. We may only have a little bit of training, but that's still no reason to not want to defend your Clan, or yourself." I give her a sideways glance as I walk along next to her. I hate feeling like I'm pressuring her; I just honestly want to know. She shoots me a look. "You sound like my mentor," she growls.

"Viperpaw, I'm serious."

She shrugs, letting out a soft sigh.

"I don't know." Her large eyes anxiously flick everywhere except my face. "I guess I just… I just don't feel confident enough yet to take on another cat on my own. I've never actually fought another cat before."

"Well tonight could have been your chance to!" I tell her. "One day we're gonna have to go into battle against another Clan, and we need to be ready." She gives me an uncertain glance, and I continue, "Your name is _Viper_paw! You're supposed to be quick, fearless, and venomous!" I try to encourage her.

"So what," she mutters. "It's just a name. Names don't define who you are." I don't know what to say to that. I find myself hoping that she gets over this insecurity soon so that she can learn to defend her Clan with pride. It would be horribly disappointing if she went medicine cat on me.

"Wake up!"

A growl sounds outside the overhanging branches of the apprentices' den. I blink my eyes open to see a pair of amber eyes glaring at me. "You were supposed to be up hours ago. It's sunhigh." I groan inwardly. It's Hawkflight, my mentor, and StarClan knows she _hates_ when the apprentices are not punctual when taking care of Clan duties. I rise slowly to my paws, still tired from my run through the forest last night. I glance around the den and find that Viperpaw is still asleep, too. "Wake her up, too, and then the pair of you can go clean out the elders' den." Hawkflight turns with an irritated flick of her dark red tail and goes to join a group of senior warriors.

I prod Viperpaw with one claw. "Pssst! Wake up! It's sunhigh, and Hawkflight's ticked." The golden apprentice groggily raises her head and forces her eyes open. "Huh?"

"Get up! Hawkflight wants us to clean out the elders' den for sleeping so late."

"Ugh. But I hate doing that! Hawkflight's not even my mentor."

A new voice mews, "Exactly. She's not your mentor, which is why I'm taking you out battle training."

"Ghostfrost!" Viperpaw meows delightedly. Not fair! Viperpaw gets to sleep late _and_ practice battle training with the most epic mentor ever, Ghostfrost, while I have to clean out the elders' den with my dictator of a mentor, Hawkflight. Wonderful. Just wonderful_._

Viperpaw leaps out of her nest and trots after the young, misty-furred warrior. Slowly I squeeze out under the branches of my den and make my way across the clearing. I can feel Hawkflight's hard gaze boring into my back, making sure I am getting the task done.

I slip into the elders' den, where I am greeting with, "About time too! I've been waiting ages for some apprentice to come in here and clean this place out! I've got thorns and fleas all over my nest." Frostheart, the worst elder in all of the Clans, lashes his fluffy tail and glares at me. This cat is one of the reasons why I hate this chore.

"Oh, pay no mind to this old fleabag, young Wishpaw," Brindlefoot croaks. She can't even remember my name, for StarClan's sake. "Your bedding is fine, Frostheart! Redpaw just changed it yesterday."

"Changed it!" Frostheart scoffs. "She put one clump of new moss in and clawed up the rest of it to make it look less matted. I swear apprentices these days have no respect for their elders."

I block out Frostheart's ranting and begin clearing out the old bedding. I have to wake up Firepelt so that he can let me clear out his old nest, and the old tom is so startled he swipes at me with unsheathed claws, leaving a small stinging scratch above my eye. I wince, cursing silently. At least he apologized, but could there possibly be a worse way to spend my day?

Apparently so. "I have a tick on my back I can't reach," Firepelt rumbles. "Would you mind getting some mouse bile from Ashcloud to put on it?

Foxdung_._

Needless to say, the rest of my day was just as horrible, putting mouse bile on Firepelt's ticks, throwing out the old bedding, finding more moss in the forest and whatnot. I am finally finished as the sun is setting and ready to go to my den and sleep for a moon when Smokestar, the ShadowClan leader, stalks out of his den and calls the Clan together. I had completely forgotten that tonight is the Gathering.

The cats begin pouring out from the shadows at the edges of the camp, swelling into one large group at the head of the clearing. I trot up and take my place between Redpaw and Russetwolf. Smokestar rakes the assembled cats with his fierce amber stare, which stands out boldly against his dark, soot-colored pelt, and begins to speak.

"As soon as the sun is completely below the horizon we shall leave for the Gathering," he growls. "These are the cats I want in attendance tonight: Stormfrost, Leopardheart, Hawkflight, Snowpelt, Flurrypelt, Ghostfrost, Emberclaw, Swanfeather, Shiverpool, Dustclaw, Sparrowflight, Russetwolf, Frostheart, Brindlefoot, Firepelt, and all of the apprentices, seeing as their progress is coming along finely." It is probably the first time I have ever heard Smokestar praise anyone. Excitement surges through my veins; this will be my first Gathering. Redpaw nudges me and barely manages to whisper, "We're going to the Gathering!" Redpaw, who is seven moons as well, has been talking about going to one since before we were apprenticed.

Smokestar waves his tail in signal and all the chosen cats file after him through the entrance tunnel and into the warm greenleaf forest. Viperpaw catches up to me and Redpaw and we bound gleefully after our Clanmates. I feel a surge of energy course through me; none of my exhaustion from earlier remains. I try to match the longer strides of the older warriors as I run through my territory, stretching my short legs until I just barely clear a fallen log. The lake comes into sight, and Smokestar leads us along the shore, heading into RiverClan territory. The ground here is marshy and wet underpaw, and I wince as I splash through a puddle, the silver droplets soaking my white belly fur. I can see a group of RiverClan cats ahead of us, making their way in the same direction as we are.

Finally, as the full moon rises, I spot the island, connected to the shore by a huge fallen tree. The RiverClan cats are creeping across it one by one, the pale light making their pelts glow silver. Ahead, Smokestar stops to let the last RiverClan cats make their way across, then leaps onto the log. Dawnfrost, our deputy, follows, and so does the rest of the Clan in single file. Redpaw jumps gracefully onto the slippery bark and pads forward easily. I crouch, preparing to make the jump, butterflies in my stomach. What if I do something embarrassing, like slip? I push the thought from my mind and leap.

My claws grasp bark and damp moss, and I cling on, praying to StarClan that I can keep my balance. I cautiously straighten up, and gingerly take a step forward.

"C'mon, you're holding up the line!" I turn and see Owlpaw, my brother, scramble up onto the log behind me. He gives me a shove. "Move your butt!" he yowls. My paws slip and I catch myself quickly, my heart pounding. "Okay, okay! Relax," I hiss, and quickly pad across the fallen tree. I push off the end of the bridge and make my way through the trees after the rest of the Clan.

The woods on the island finally open up into a clearing washed in pale moonlight with a huge, ancient oak in the center. The clearing is a sea of pelts and tails; the scents of RiverClan and WindClan intermingle as the Clans greet each other, sharing tongues and gossiping. ThunderClan has yet to arrive. I feel fur brush against my flank and I turn to see Viperpaw standing next to me, her amber eyes wide. She is shivering a bit.

"There are so many cats," she breathes. "What if we get lost?"

"Just stick with me," I mew. Owlpaw comes up on my other side. "So what do we do now?" he asks.

"Go meet some of the other apprentices," a voice mews. I twist my head to see Owlpaw's mentor Snowpelt standing behind us. "Try to learn something about them. After all, you will meet them in battle someday."

Owlpaw turns to look at her. "You mean like, get useful information about them?"

Snowpelt nods. "Precisely," she purrs. I look around the clearing, and spot Sunpaw and Sparkpaw talking to some cats that look about my age. "Let's go talk to them," I suggest, flicking my tail in their direction. "Okay!" Owlpaw bounds off and I follow. Viperpaw pads after us more slowly.

Sunpaw smiles at us as we settle down next to her and Sparkpaw. "This is Frozenpaw and Wavepaw's first Gathering, too," she mews. "They're from RiverClan." Sunpaw is two moons older than me, nine moons, and Sparkpaw is nearly twelve moons, almost a warrior. Owlpaw and I mew a friendly greeting to the two apprentices, and Viperpaw just ducks her head shyly. Frozenpaw, a gray tom, gives us a nod, his expression guarded, but the dappled blue-gray she-cat Wavepaw bursts out, "This is your first Gathering too? Oh good, we aren't the only ones. I was expecting to be the only ones, and I was worried that all the other cats would know what to do and I wouldn't, and what if we got bullied by some older warriors or something? I couldn't defend myself. I don't have any battle training!" She stops to take a breath. "I'm Wavepaw by the way. Medicine cat apprentice." She straightens up proudly, puffing out her chest. "That's my mentor over there, Mudstep," she waves her tail in the direction of a brown tabby tom. "He's great. He's like a father, or a really nice uncle or something. He's not really my father, my father's over there," she points again, but I can't tell which cat she means so I just pretend I see him and nod. "My mom didn't come tonight, she has a hurt foot. Mudstep told her to stay home. He's such a great medicine cat. Last moon…"

I block out her endless babbling and say to Sunpaw, "Where's ThunderClan?"

"They're here now," she answers, looking past me. I follow her gaze and see a large tabby tom leading his Clan onto the island. I hear a yowl in the opposite direction and turn my head to see a sleek-furred she-cat who I assume is the WindClan leader standing in the center of the Great Oak where two branches meet. "Let's begin," she calls. Several of the other cats glare in her direction. I realize that the other Clan leaders are not even at the Great Oak yet.

Smokestar stalks slowly up to the tree and bounds up onto a higher branch. He doesn't even glance at the she-cat who called for the Gathering to start. ThunderClan's leader joins Smokestar, growling, "Patience, Shimmerstar. ThunderClan has only just arrived." A thickset black and white tom scrabbles clumsily up onto the lowest branch and nods at Shimmerstar. "Let's begin," he bellows.

Shimmerstar steps forward at once. "WindClan has something to say. It is of great importance to the future of all four Clans, and I believe that this part of the warrior code needs to be enforced now even more than it already is." She pauses for dramatic effect, and some elder calls out, "Well, get on with it!"

Shimmerstar ignores the voice and rakes the assembled cats with an amber gaze like fire. "There is too much tainted blood within our Clans these days. Are we even warriors any longer? Or a bunch of rogues, kittypets, and loners thrown together?" She glances at ShadowClan, ThunderClan and RiverClan in turn. "It seems WindClan is the only Clan with almost perfect Clan blood, with descendants of Windstar herself living among us." She raises her voice. "But still, even our blood isn't pure. And impure blood means divided loyalties. And divided loyalties lead to destruction and chaos."

There is a heavy pause that stretches out. You can almost feel the tension crackling in the air. Shimmerstar speaks again, her voice a low, menacing growl. "I am sure you all, especially WindClan, remember Featherpelt and Rainfall. Two half-WindClan _mutts_ that had the privilege to live in my Clan. Well, you may be wondering where they are tonight." She pauses again; a sneer appears on her face.

I glance around, and see that most of the WindClan cats appear anguished; pelts bristle, tails lash. Some just hang their heads in apparent sorrow, gazing with unseeing, clouded eyes at the ground. Still others sit proudly and nod their approval. Anxious murmurs arise from all the Clans. What did WindClan do to those cats?

Shimmerstar draws herself up to her full height, pelt bristling and tail lashing. "I had my most loyal warriors do away with such dishonorable filth," she snarls. "They are dead and walk with StarClan, if they even deserve to."

At once a chorus of outraged yowls and caterwauls arises like a flock of startled blackbirds. Cats from ShadowClan, RiverClan, and ThunderClan leap to their paws, spitting insults and questions left and right. ThunderClan's leader finally stands and raises his tail for silence. Gradually the noise dies down and the Clans sit down again, muttering among themselves.

"Shimmerstar," the dark tabby tom addresses the WindClan leader with a voice like ice. "What gives you the right to decide if a cat deserves to live among your Clan or not, just because of their blood? Their loyalty should be the determining factor of worthiness, not their heritage. What I saw in Featherpelt and Rainfall was the same amount of loyalty and dedication to their Clan and the warrior code as a full-blooded warrior."

"What gives _you_ the right, Tabbystar, to tell me what I should or shouldn't do? I am strengthening my Clan!" Shimmerstar is seething, her muscles tensed. The wild hate in her eyes is frightening.

"_Strengthening?" _Tabbystar hisses. "You murdered two valuable warriors! That is weakening your Clan. As long as a cat is faithful, what difference does it make that they are half-Clan, kittypet, rogue, or loner?"

"You would say that, Tabbystar. After all, there is not a single cat left among your ranks that is one hundred percent ThunderClan."

"And how does that make them disloyal?" Tabbystar shouts. "Prove that my warriors would not give up their final breath for ThunderClan! Let's not forget Firestar, or the Three. Kittypet blood and WindClan blood flowed through their veins, but who's to say they weren't the most loyal cats of all? We owe our very lives to them." He sweeps the crowd with his wise green gaze. He was obviously trying to win the support of the other Clans.

"You choose to dwell in the past, Tabbystar." Smokestar finally speaks up from his perch above them. "But our warriors are facing the threats of today, and we must tend to the future. I agree with Shimmerstar." Several shocked ears perk up. "Housing half-blood cats is more trouble than it's worth. ShadowClan will not tolerate traitors who break the warrior code for their own selfishness. As of now my ranks are pure, but any breaking of the warrior code involving taking mates from another Clan will be punished with death."

Can he really do this? I stare skeptically up at my leader. Of course, no cat should take a mate from another Clan, but it's not like the kits asked to be born. I can't say that I agree with Smokestar. Thank StarClan I'm fully ShadowClan.

Breezestar, the RiverClan leader, stands. "I also side with Shimmerstar and Smokestar. RiverClan will begin to strongly enforce this part of the warrior code." He abruptly sits back down. I glance toward the deputies, to see if they agree with their leaders' decisions. All of them seem content, except a mottled she-cat, who I assume is the ThunderClan deputy, is puffed up and spitting insults at the WindClan deputy. The RiverClan deputy looks about uneasily, as if he disagrees with Breezestar but doesn't want to say so out loud.

"I can't believe this," Tabbystar growls, throwing a look of pure hatred toward Shimmerstar. "Complete savages, the lot of you. You are unfit to bear the title of 'warrior.'" With that he bounds to the ground and calls his Clan together. The ThunderClan cats file after their leader, bristling with rage.

"Tabbystar is a fool," Shimmerstar spits. "Let him weaken his Clan while we grow strong." Shimmerstar leaps off of her branch, and flicks her tail dismissively. At once the Clans disperse to share tongues and gossip. No one seems to mind the absence of ThunderClan.

I tag after Owlpaw, who is just slipping away through the crowd. "Where'd Viperpaw get to?" I ask.

Owlpaw looks around, and then shrugs. "Hm. I don't know. I can't see her."

"She must be close by."

I weave though the crowd after Owlpaw. Suddenly I smack face first into a wall of ginger fur. Sparkpaw hops backward, out of my way. "Sorry!" she mews.

"Have you seen Viperpaw?" Owlpaw asks.

"Sparkpaw flicks her tail toward someplace behind her. I look over her shoulder to see her talking with some other cat. It looks more like the other cat is doing all the talking, though. "There she is." I flick my tail for Owlpaw to follow me and we go to join up with her.

"It's too bad all the leaders were arguing," Sparkpaw mews with a sympathetic flash in her yellow eyes. "Smokestar could have announced your names since this is your first Gathering. Oh well." She shrugs and pads off.

"Darn." Owlpaw comments.

"Oh well; c'mon, let's go find Viperpaw." We make our way over to where she is standing and looking around as if she is confused.

"Weren't you just talking to someone?" Owlpaw asks.

She nods. "They had to leave." The little she-cat looks overwhelmed. "Are you okay?" I ask.

"Fine. There are just so many cats. And they're all so huge and vicious looking! And some of them are really nice. I don't want to have to fight all these cats." She looks at me with wide, unhappy eyes.

I open my mouth to say something, but then a shadow falls over us. I look up to see a huge pale-furred tabby tom gazing down at us.

"Hello." His mew is deep and rumbling, like the river's current. "He beckons with his tail. "Could you come with me for a moment?"

My paws feel rooted to the spot. I glance at Owlpaw and Viperpaw, only to see that they are just as shocked as I am to be addressed by this tom. What does he want with us?

Suddenly my mind goes back to that uncertain-looking tom sitting at the roots of the Great Oak while his leader sided with the majority.

It was the RiverClan deputy.

13


	2. Chapter 2

_TWO_

_Viperpaw of ShadowClan_

I stand rigid, staring up at this huge tomcat. I feel my ears flatten against my head involuntarily. Are we in trouble? Did we do something wrong? What is he going to do with us?

I glace over at Windpaw and Owlpaw to see their reactions. Their faces appear shocked, probably mirroring my own. Owlpaw has a suspicious glint in his green eyes. "Aren't you the RiverClan deputy?" he boldly inquires.

The massive tabby nods. "I am." His expression is very calm and kind. It relaxes me a bit. He jerks his head in the direction of a large holly bush at the edge of the clearing, beckoning us with his tail. Windpaw takes a hesitant step forward, and Owlpaw falls in beside him. I slowly trail along behind. The RiverClan deputy ducks underneath the spiky branches of the holly and sits down with his tail wrapped around his paws.

"Now, in case you don't know already, my name is Beechnose. As I am the deputy of RiverClan, it is of utter importance that our meeting be kept a secret."

"What is all this about?" Owlpaw demands.

"Patience, Owlpaw. I am getting to that."

The little brown tabby's neck fur spikes up. "How do you know my name?"

"I know all your names. You're Owlpaw, he's Windpaw and she's Viperpaw. But that doesn't matter. The point is, I was observing you tonight during the Gathering, and you are all incredibly promising young cats. I would like to start an alliance between RiverClan and the three of you."

"Just us? Not all of ShadowClan?" Windpaw interrupts.

Beechnose appears to be thinking about something. "No," he mutters, as if half to himself. "It'd be too dangerous." More loudly he adds, "Just the three of you. I will offer you training, to make you better warriors, better than what you could be with only your mentors' training."

"Are you saying we wouldn't get good training in our own Clan? ShadowClan is ten times as great as RiverClan!" Owlpaw growls.

"I'm not saying anything." Beechnose has an air of eternal patience about him. Is that a glint of amusement in his eyes? "This agreement will strengthen you. A smart cat would be wise to accept the deputy of another Clan as an ally. Do you accept?"

My fur bristles along my spine. I flash a warning glance at Windpaw, and give a tiny shake of my head. I am too afraid to speak up, though. Windpaw blinks at me to show that he saw. "What is all this about? What is the real reason for all of this?" he asks.

Beechnose sighs. "I wish I could tell you, but not now. All in good time. But I need an answer. The Clans are beginning to leave."

The three of us exchange a glance. Owlpaw sweeps his tail to beckon us to huddle. We crowd together, our heads pressed close.

"Do you actually think this is a good idea? I think it's completely mousebrained!" Owlpaw hisses.

"Well…" Windpaw hesitates.

"Windpaw, we'd be setting ourselves up for ambush!"

"Um, I think he can hear us," I whisper. Owlpaw's hissing isn't exactly soft. The brown apprentice glances over his shoulder at Beechnose, then adds more softly, "What do you think, Viperpaw?"

"I- I don't know." I mew. "It might be a good idea, but it would be unsafe."

"I think we might be stupid not to accept," Windpaw declares. "It's the RiverClan deputy, for StarClan's sake!"

"How about this," says Owlpaw. "We go once to see what it is about, and then decide whether we want to keep going with it. Deal?"

"Deal." Windpaw and I mew in unison. We turn around to face Beechnose.

"Okay. We'll meet you for training," says Owlpaw.

Beechnose lets out a deep purr. "Thank you. You will not regret this. Meet me tomorrow night at the halfbridge between our territories at moonrise. I'll be waiting." Without another word he stands and pushes his way out from under the holly.

"Let's hope we haven't just agreed to something incredibly mousebrained," Owlpaw murmurs. I nod in agreement. Now that we've agreed to meet this tom, I'm extremely nervous, but Windpaw thinks this is a good idea, and I usually trust his judgment. I follow Windpaw and Owlpaw out from underneath the bush, to see that ShadowClan is about to leave. My mentor Ghostfrost rushes toward us from the crowd.

"We've been looking everywhere for you!" he meows. "We're about to leave." I pad by his side toward the group of ShadowClan cats. "I found them," Ghostfrost calls. Smokestar flicks his ears in acknowledgement and leads the Clan off the island.

I lay curled up in my nest next to Windpaw, unable to sleep. When I close my eyes I can still see the kind expression of Beechnose looking down at me. Something about him draws me to want to know about him, to want to learn from him. There seems to be a gentleness and patience about the tom that I like. The way he looked at us was almost, I don't know, fatherly? Except I don't really know what that looks like. My father and mother both died long ago. Windpaw and Owlpaw's mother Dewleaf raised me, so I guess I know what it's like to have a mother, but my father died in battle before I was born, in the same battle that killed Windpaw and Owlpaw's father. Maybe Beechnose could fill in the gap in my heart where I know my father should have been.

Another thought occurs to me: what if it was all just an act? What if we are all going to get ambushed tomorrow by RiverClan? We may leave ShadowClan to visit a strange tom and it could cost us our lives. But then Beechnose's calm, fatherly gaze swims back into my mind and I don't think that is possible. Besides, I have to trust Windpaw. Windpaw feels good about it, and that's all that matters. Even if Owlpaw is suspicious.

I snuggle deeper into my moss nest, trying to get comfortable. I can feel Windpaw's back against mine in his nest next to me. I relax, my worries eased slightly by the presence of the gray and white apprentice, and I finally sink into sleep.


End file.
